Elias Hanzer
Type Designer · Founder · Designer
6 articles · May 2021 — Mar 2026
Quotes
“For the first time within the possibilities of VF technology, we built a design construct that ranges from sans to serif and everything in between.”
Articles & interviews
- Phantasia captures Riad El Aaiún’s identity in one rooftop detail
The Brand Identity · Mar 25, 2026
Barcelona-based studio Phantasia created the brand identity for Riad El Aaiún, a boutique hotel in Marrakech, by abstracting the city’s rooftop crenellations into a modular graphic system. The identity balances geometric precision with warmth through tactile materials and Dinamo’s ABC Arizona typeface. The result reflects the riad’s blend of traditional Moroccan architecture and contemporary sophistication.
- Studio HanLi Emphasizes Fun Over Trends in Design Approach
It's Nice That · Feb 6, 2025
The article profiles Berlin-based Studio HanLi, founded by Elias Hanzer and Lucas Liccini, whose practice merges graphic design and type design through their sister foundry HAL Typefaces. Emphasizing experimentation and fun over trends, the duo discuss their intertwined approach, upcoming type releases like HAL Magic, and their historically informed creative process. The feature highlights their philosophy of continual exploration and joy in design.
Studio HanLiHAL TypefacesMarkus ZimmermannSenckenberg Naturmuseumbranding|typography|editorial - Exploring Foolproof Flexible Branding Systems with Frontify
The Brand Identity · Jan 20, 2025
The Brand Identity’s article, written by Poppy Thaxter, explores how studios like FAY, DesignStudio, and Dinamo Typefaces are using generative tools and variable fonts to create flexible, dynamic brand systems. Through case studies with clients such as Lobe, Wu Tsai Institute, and Ubisoft+, the piece highlights how technology empowers clients to co-create assets while maintaining brand consistency. The discussion, part of The Shift series with Frontify, underscores the balance between creative freedom and systematic control in modern branding.
FrontifyFAYDesignStudioLobeWu Tsai Institute at Yale Universitybranding - "Rethink Combines Gourmet Mushrooms and Motorsports in Unique Branding"
The Brand Identity · Jan 15, 2025
The Brand Identity’s biweekly feature ‘The Edit’ spotlights five new design projects, including Rethink’s motorsport-inspired identity for gourmet mushroom brand Full Pin, HAL Typefaces’ new release HAL Magic, and branding for Spitfire Cheese and Sundry by Callin Mackintosh. It also covers Alex Hunting Studio’s launch of the art journal Footnote and Pentagram’s bold identity for photographer Jack Davison’s publishing house Helions.
RETHINKHAL TypefacesCallin MackintoshFull PinSpitfire Cheese and Sundrybranding - SOMEKIND Studio Designs Bold Wordmark for OTTIMO's EVOO Brand
The Brand Identity · Dec 17, 2024
The Brand Identity features SOMEKIND Studio’s brand identity for OTTIMO, a premium extra virgin olive oil brand. The design centers on a custom 'chonky' wordmark that reflects the product’s full-bodied character, complemented by Edition Contextual type by Elias Hanzer. Drawing inspiration from southern Italy’s warmth and traditions, the identity combines authenticity with a contemporary spirit through handcrafted typography, a rich color palette, and versatile packaging applications.
SOMEKIND StudioOTTIMObranding - Dinamo’s Johannes Breyer on the process behind innovative sans to serif superfamily ABC Arizona
The Brand Identity · May 12, 2021 · Interview
The Brand Identity interviews Dinamo co-founder Johannes Breyer about the creation of ABC Arizona, a groundbreaking sans-to-serif variable type superfamily designed by Elias Hanzer in collaboration with Dinamo. The three-year project explores new possibilities in variable font technology, blending multiple genres into one cohesive file. The discussion covers the technical challenges, collaborative process, and early uses of the typeface in projects like Glyphs, Fashion Research Library, and the San Francisco Symphony.